An Apple a Day

cricket bets

Whether it’s the magic of a team of players working together as one to reach a unified goal, following the rise and making of absolute legends, the various formats in which the game is played (5 day cricket, 1 day cricket, Twenty20 matches), it being a gentleman’s game, the nail-biting excitement of it all or even the social interaction between fans, one thing is for certain: New Zealand loves cricket.

The New Zealand National Cricket Team are nicknamed the Black Caps and are famed the world over for batting and pitching up a storm, coming in at second place during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. Besides the National Cricket Team, there are also a number of well-supported domestic cricket teams playing it up in New Zealand with odds on online cricket betting sites.

The number of international games played annually has turned the game of Cricket into a haven for punters wanting to wager cricket bets. The ICC World T20 Tournament, Indian Premier League and the ICC Cricket World Cup all count among New Zealand bettors’ and bookmakers’ favourites. Major international events draw a lot of attention, resulting in the stakes being much higher than usual.

The ICC Cricket World Cup consists of a number of qualifying rounds leading up to a finals tournament. Punters have the opportunity to not only bet on the qualifying rounds as well as the finals, but are also able to make accurate predictions regarding the outcome of the tournament, based on the qualifying results of teams and players.

Bookmakers offer betting opportunities on both the ICC Cricket World Cup as well as the Twenty20 World Cup.

Studying The Statistics

Before placing cricket bets, it is vital to study the statistics. The best way to determine the strengths and weaknesses of any particular team or player, is to study previous match outcomes. It must be kept in mind that some teams and players perform better in certain formats than in others. Players known to excel during 5 day cricket will not necessarily do as well during faster paced Twenty20 matches. It is important to do an even comparison in order to achieve the best possible results.

Weathering The Storm

The condition of the weather is a deciding factor when placing cricket bets. The weather affects a game of cricket considerably more than most other sports. This becomes evident when considering that a game is terminated in the event of bad light or sudden changes in the weather.

Rain will have an influence on everything from the bounce of the ball off the pitch to the swing of the ball in the air, turning any match into a real wild card.

Finding The Perfect Pitch

In cricket, everything revolves around the pitch. A worn and tattered pitch will play into the hands of spin bowlers, but will pose an array of challenges to batsmen. This has the potential to turn 5 day test matches into hellish experiences, as opposed to 1 day matches during which the pitch does not have much of a chance to be anything other than smooth sailing.